AT&T

[itvt] has just published the latest edition of Rick Howe's regular column, "The iTV Doctor Is In!" This week, GW Shaw, executive director of AT&T U-verse marketing, discusses AT&T U-verse TV's interactive TV apps strategy, and how that strategy has been shaped by what it has learned from its customers since launching its first ITV apps back in 2006.

Microsoft has filed a lawsuit against TiVo in a San Francisco federal court, claiming that the DVR company has infringed upon two of its US patents--which cover technologies for securely purchasing and delivering video and for displaying programmable information respectively, Bloomberg reported yesterday. Microsoft, which claims that TiVo is illegally using the technologies described by the patents in its set-top boxes, its software and its subscription service, is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court order to prevent TiVo from using the technologies.

AT&T has launched an interactive application, called Film Awards Interactive, for the iPhone/iPod touch and for its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV platform, U-verse TV. According to AT&T, among other things, the free app lets consumers use their remote control or their iPhone/iPod touch screen to:

Verizon announced Wednesday that it has launched an NBA League Pass interactive TV widget on its FiOS TV service. According to the company, the free widget allows viewers to order NBA League Pass, an NBA subscription package that provides up to 40 out-of-market live NBA games per week, via their remote control; and also provides them with instant access to headline news, player reports, game-time alerts and more.

AT&T is providing Dallas and Fort Worth-area customers of its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV, with a "Dallas Mavericks Multiview" interactive TV application intended to enhance their viewing of Dallas Mavericks basketball games. The application is a team-specific implementation of the new AT&T U-verse TV Multiview application format that was profiled in an article published on itvt.com, September 14th (note: an example of AT&T U-verse TV's new Sports Multiview application, which has been rolled out nationally, can be seen below).

Alcatel-Lucent announced Tuesday that US incumbent telco, AT&T, has extended the contract under which Alcatel-Lucent provides end-to-end multivendor network integration for AT&T's U-verse triple-play offering. U-verse is comprised of U-verse TV, a Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service; U-verse High Speed Internet; and U-verse Voice--all of which are delivered over AT&T's IP network using Alcatel-Lucent's Triple Play Service Delivery Architecture (TPSDA). According to AT&T, the U-verse offering is now available in 93 markets in 19 states, and its U-verse TV component now has over 1.3 million customers.

US incumbent telco, AT&T, announced Thursday that its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV, will offer the exclusive US premiere of Aardman Animations' new "Wallace and Gromit" short film, "A Matter of Loaf and Death," as part of a three-screen promotional deal that will also involve the telco's mobile and broadband platforms. From June 5th through 7th, the film will be available free-of-charge on U-verse TV's video-on-demand service (thereafter, it will be available for a $4 rental on the service exclusively through August 31st).

AT&T says that viewers interacting with the recently concluded eighth season of the interactive TV reality series, "American Idol," sent 178 million text messages over its network--the highest total for any season and more than double the 78 million messages that it reported last year.

US incumbent telco, AT&T, announced last week that its Microsoft Mediaroom-powered IPTV service, U-verse TV, had enjoyed a record first quarter. According to the company, the service attracted a record 284,000 net new subscribers during the quarter, bringing its total subscriber base to over 1.3 million. The service is now available in 93 markets in 19 states.

Microsoft contacted [itvt] last week to let us know that MTS Allstream, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian telco, Manitoba Telecom Services, has launched an HDTV service in Winnipeg, based on the Microsoft Mediaroom IPTV platform and various technologies from Mediaroom reseller and systems-integration partner, Alcatel-Lucent. According to Microsoft, the new service offers 30 HDTV channels (with more to be rolled out later this year), DVR service, and an EPG with picture-in-picture capability; and is slated to roll out additional advanced services later this year. It is currently available in limited areas of Winnipeg.

--Rolls Out U-verse Total Home DVR across Entire U-verse Footprint